First Outer World Story Series: The Black Mist that Devours - Chapter 14
Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter
For a while, Kurokiri will not appear in the upcoming chapters.
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(Ryo POV)
Through the selfless sacrifice of my bodyguard, Ichiko, I had become the first survivor of the labyrinth X-J2.
But in reality, the truth was otherwise. Neither was I a survivor nor was Ichiko dead. Ichiko and I had simply been converted into Kurokiri’s kin.
“Phew. Finally, all the tedious interviews and media coverage are concluded.”
A week has passed since I, Nasu Ryo, transitioned from human to Kirijin. During this interval, Ichiko had apparently made it to the southern dungeon “Ogre’s Fortress” and had begun to hunt enemies.
My parents hadn’t raised any particular comment to me, nor did they seem to be pondering appointing a new bodyguard for me. The reason was that… perhaps from the outsider’s point of view, I seemed to be heartbroken over the loss of Ichiko.
They did, however, appear to be debating whether or not to move out. I did everything I could to stop them, so all was well, but why did I stop them? Just in case… my true identity would be exposed… I wished to have a place where I can escape right away.
Furthermore, I selfishly asked Kurokiri to discreetly build an entrance to the second level of the “White Mist and Black Swamp Forest” in the basement of my house. The cost was substantial, though.
“Well, I should probably start on my task now.”
For now, I re-focused my attention and proceeded with the assignment that Kurokiri had ordered me to handle.
To begin with, my country currently had five dungeons.
The labyrinth X-J1, officially designated as “Ogre’s Fortress,” arose in the capital city and was currently labeled as being in a state of war.
The most threatening labyrinth in the country was X-J2, “White Mist and Black Swamp Forest,” which was ruled by Kurokiri.
X-J3 emerged in the ancient city in the west.
X-J4 emerged in the northernmost part of the country.
X-J5 emerged on a volcanic island in the southwest.
Among these, X-J1 and X-J2 required no further elaboration, since Ichiko had been to X-J1, and X-J2 was a dungeon under the jurisdiction of Kurokiri.
So, let’s move on to X-J3.
The labyrinth was primarily inhabited by beast-like demons, according to reports gathered at her father’s side as well as information on the news and the Internet, and while it appeared that demons do not venture out of the labyrinth, 40% of those who entered it were reported to be dead, and 30% were injured to the point where they could not engage in combat in the future. Well, compared to ours, it’s not that awful.
Next was X-J4.
This dungeon was mainly populated by ice and water-based demons and was said to be perpetually frozen and shrouded in snow.
Although demons had been sighted stepping out from time to time, it seemed they only strike at criminals, bears, and other dangerous animals when that happened.
Finally, there was X-J5.
This place was thoroughly reclusive with no information accessible about it at all. To begin with, the entrance to the dungeon resided in a crater, making it apparently inaccessible to humans unless they possess special skills or equipment. I may have to request Kurokiri to dispatch some Fogs to that site.
These were the only dungeons in Japan; however, there were many more dungeons across the world.
For starters, there were a total of 666 labyrinths in existence, all of which emerged from the barriers that day.
And if I was to elevate the most well-known of them, that would be::
A labyrinth of sky-high towers that was popularly known as the “Skyscraper” had arisen in a building district of a certain major country.
A labyrinth with a pyramid-like structure that had surfaced in the desert.
A labyrinth constructed of a single colossal tree.
Even in the middle of the ocean, there were labyrinths to be found. Among them, there were about 50 that were aggressively assaulting humans like the “Ogre’s Fortress”. There were roughly 100 labyrinths like “White Mist and Black Swamp Forest” where people might have been abducted in clandestine operations and 80 labyrinths like X-J5 where the monsters were staying indoors.
The rest were supposed to specialize in an interception.
“Huh? Why is there no Demon King who would consider joining hands with humans…?”
[That’s because the Demon King’s correction ensures that they cannot beg for their lives. If they thoughtlessly show up at the negotiating table, they’ll end up in a full-fledged mess.]
“!?”
[I’m free, so I’ve been running some tests on the communication. The signal sensitivity seems to be fine. I’m hanging up now.]
“…What a nuisance….”
At any rate, I should resume the summary.
There were around 200 labyrinths in the world that people were actively striving to conquer out of the total of 666. These 200 labyrinths were practically like the “Ogre’s Fortress,” where people’s lives would be jeopardized if the labyrinths were not seized promptly.
And about 300 labyrinths were under close surveillance, just like Kurokiri’s dungeon.
The remaining labyrinths, such as X-J5, were placed in such an unfavorable site that even surveillance was inadequate.
Next, let’s look at the level of danger.
The United Nations ranked the danger as higher if the number of survivors was low in proportion to the number of people entering the labyrinth, as well as the monsters inside and the structure of the labyrinth.
It was claimed that I was the lone survivor in the case of “White Mist and Black Swamp Forest,” and that I was the only one who was abducted even under the strictest precautions. Furthermore, the inner structure was completely unknown (I had informed people that the mist was so dense that I could not make out anything).
For this reason, it was regarded as one of the most perilous labyrinths by the United Nations.
But according to Kurokiri, “The fundamental tactic in my labyrinth is to avoid a head-on confrontation and kill the victim in a one-sided battle.”
For the time being, I supposed that was all the information I had on the labyrinths.
?
Check out other Outer World Story series in order: Outer World Story: The Black Mist that Devours (First series), Outer World Story: Pumpkin Sorcerer (Third series), Outer World Story: Basilisk of Ice Sculpture (Fourth series)